Residents later this month will have the opportunity to learn about three proposed municipal projects aimed at addressing infrastructure issues in town.

A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16 to inform residents about plans to update the wastewater treatment system, to repair a host of school district issues and to purchase a foreclosed parcel to expand parking at a crowded elementary school.

The meeting, held in anticipation of a town meeting and referendum on the three proposals, is designed to get public input on the planned projects, First Selectman Paul Sweet said. He said a final engineering study is finished on a proposed multi-million sewer plant upgrade. The town will ask residents to bond $5 million to refurbish two 45-year-old wastewater treatment plants.

“The idea is to stay in compliance with recent discharge permits,” Sweet said. “Right now, Plainfield has the lowest sewer use fees in the state, about $240 each year. We have a lot of new businesses and users in town, and typically in the past, the cost of these types of projects is spread out amongst the whole town, not just the sewer users. We may be able to offset some of the cost with other grants.”

The three-year project entails replacing internal components — pumps, aerators, lights and motors — at the treatment plants in Sunny Brook Village and Central Village, which serve approximately 5,400 users, including some from Sterling.

The public hearing will also provide details on a $4.4 million bond proposal to fund nearly two dozen repair and replacement projects in the school district. The town expects to receive a 75.7 percent reimbursement — or $3.3 million — from the state on the total cost of the work, Sweet said.

The proposed project would pay to repair roofs at the Plainfield Central, Memorial, Shepard Hill Elementary and Moosup Elementary schools, as well as to the Early Childhood Center. Parking lots and heating and cooling systems would also be repaired, while the district’s wireless system would be upgraded. Superintendent Ken DiPietro said the work proposals came from the community.

“Soon after the new high school was built, we heard from residents asking us not to forget about the other schools in the district,” he said. “A committee was formed that went through each school, building by building, to determine what work was required. We’ve got roofs that are more than 20 years old — we’ve already spent $100,000 for repairs to Shepard Hill — and heating systems are more than 40 years old. These are the priority needs.”

Residents this month will also learn about a proposal to purchase 5 acres at 87 Main St., a recently foreclosed property that officials said could help alleviate parking issues at nearby Moosup Elementary School. The school, described by DiPietro as “land-locked,” has no room to expand beyond its present boundaries without buying more land.

Page 2 of 2 - Sweet said the parcel, which runs contiguous to the school property and includes a two-story residence, has been appraised at $295,000.

“We have the money to pay for it,” Sweet said. “And it seems to be in the town’s best interest to purchase it. Without that property, the school has no place to expand.”

Jeremiah Hart, who lives a few feet from the elementary school, said parking can be “pretty extreme” during pick-up and drop-off times.

“You’ve got people parking on the side of the road, blocking driveways,” he said. “I think the biggest issue isn’t parking so much as the traffic pattern. Maybe they should add some more exits. People park in the street because it’s easy in and easy out.”